Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:00:56 +0100 From: Fluffles <etc@fluffles.net> To: "Scott I. Remick" <scott@sremick.net> Cc: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Building new AM2 system, advice needed Message-ID: <45CB2D18.9010209@fluffles.net> In-Reply-To: <45CA0331.2090500@sremick.net> References: <45CA0331.2090500@sremick.net>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Scott I. Remick wrote:
> So it's been a while, but I'm ready to build a replacement system for
> my desktop. It seems a lot has changed since I last built one, and the
> decisions (hardware support) are foggier than last time. I'm not so
> rich that I can afford to keep buying stuff and sending it back, so I
> could use some advice.
>
> My criteria are:
>
> AMD socket AM2 (going to use a 65W Athlon64 X2 Windsor, as Brisbane
> doesn't seem better)
> DDR2 (800 preferred)
> integrated video not necessary (need nVidia DVI card)
know that nVidia has no AMD64 drivers and the "nv" drives AMD64 support
is crappy beyond imagination; i do not know why. My 7600GT 256MB acts in
screensaver OpenGL as if it was a PCI card of the stone age. So
essentially this means: stay with i386 and pick the nvidia binary
drivers. They at least deliver reasonable performance.
Also, why do you want DDR2? It's slower than DDR due to the latencies
being so much higher. So essentially you get a 5 - 10% performance hit;
since DDR and DDR2 is basically the same price; why would you want DDR2?
Because 2 is 'better' than 1? That's surely not the case here. Don't be
misled by marketing efforts; the IT-industry has always been: obfuscate,
misinform, exploit the unknowledgeable. Don't get a victim yourself.
> integrated sound fine if it works, even basic, but not necessary since
> cards are cheap.
> NIC needs are basic (10/100), so support of integrated NIC is nice as
> it'll save me a slot, but not critical as cards are cheap
>
> SATA2... I'm 99% positive I'll be wanting to do some RAID, at least a
> mirroring of my system/OS drive. So it'd be REALLY nice if FreeBSD
> supported whatever on-board RAID the MB had, since this will save me
> buying a 3Ware card (which are NOT cheap)
onboard RAID doesnt really exist; since the actual RAID is implemented
in the drivers. The onboard part actually is an IDE controller and a
BIOS mechanism that allows for bootstrapping. FreeBSD does support some
onboard RAID ("fake RAID") though by reading the metadata and using it's
own RAID implementation. But if i were you, i would go for software
RAID. With geom_raid5 you can also do RAID5, by the way - with great
performance!
> I have traditionally gone with Asus motherboards but I read they aim
> more for bleeding-edge gamers than the rock-solid stability I expect
> from my FreeBSD system. I can't help but wonder how many of my
> occasional FreeBSD lockups are a result of that...? I hear that Tyan
> is more-stable, however FreeBSD's support for Tyan boards that meet my
> needs is questionable/fuzzy. So I'm having a hard time.
>
> Can anyone offer some advice? Even if not specific models,
> insight/thoughts/opinions are appreciated too. Once I get the MB
> picked out, everything else will fall into place. Thanks :)
Why not consider ASRock? It's a pitty that one of the best K8 chipsets
is used so little. The ULi M1697 is regarded as high performance and
feature rich chipset; and it's cheap and allows for passive cooling
(unlike those hotheads like nForce4). The bords i like:
ASRock 939SLI-eSATA2 (Socket 939)
ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2 (Socket 939 with gigabit NIC)
ASRock AM2XLI-eSATA2 (Socket AM2)
They all use ULi M1697 chipset. Be sure to check the HCL though for SATA
and gigabit NIC drivers. I think these boards are really great value and
performance.
Good luck!
- Veronica
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?45CB2D18.9010209>